Latest News

You are here

Here at United Way we talk a fair amount about our Leadership Givers - donors who make a commitment to give $1,000 or more a year toward our Community Investment Fund. Many of them give much more than that $1,000 and a good many also give a lot of their time as volunteers and advocates.
Did you know that collectively this group of donors contribute close to half of all the dollars raised every year in our community? That is huge!
Every year we celebrate their considerable impact on our community at our annual Leadership Giving Appreciation Reception. Here are some photos from this year's event, held last week at Pack's Tavern. If you...

The North Carolina General Assembly is in the process of creating the budget for the upcoming two years. Many of the proposals made could have a dramatic impact on nonprofit organizations and the people they serve. In some cases, these are our community partners funded through United Way’s Community Investment Fund. We feel it is important for our community to learn more and see how to get involved. Here is some information from the recent WNC Nonprofit Pathways newsletter that will help you do just that.
Senate Budget Slashes Nonprofit Funding
Recently, the N.C. Senate approved a state budget (S.402) for FY 2013-2015. Earlier in the week...

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County Board of Directors approved our 2013-2014 Investment Strategy, the result of a competitive grant process in which more than $2.45 million will be invested in 79 high-quality programs that align with the community-level results outlined in United Way’s Education, Income and Health strategies.
As in prior years, United Way received $1 million more in requests than was available in the organization’s Community Investment Fund. Thus, programs with the strongest alignment with United Way’s Education, Income or Health community-level results will receive funding.
The 2013-2014 investment of $2.45...

One of the most rewarding things that a Referral Specialist can discover is a resource that we were previously unaware of. These unexpected resources help assist callers and remind us how interconnected and supportive our community is.
Neela, a 2-1-1 specialist, received a call from a mother of two children who was fleeing a domestic violence situation. The mother needed food for her family, but her car did not work and she had no money to fix it, so she inquired about places that could deliver food. This was a difficult resource to refer to, as food pantries that deliver are uncommon, but Neela thought she may be able to find some...

We are all devestated seeing what has happened to our neighbors in the mid-west. Many want to help. The following message come to us from United Way of Central Oklahoma, who advises that monetary donations are the best way to assist the recovery efforts at this time.
________________
United Way of Central Oklahoma has activated its disaster relief fund effective Monday, May 20, 2013, so individuals may contribute online, via credit card by phone, and by mail, specifically to the May tornadoes relief and recovery efforts. If you have trouble with donating online, there are two alternative ways to give.
1. Give online to the...

The work that this incredible group of volunteers do can not be overstated. Together they read and review funding applications from x programs and they must critically analyze the merit of the applications, the community needs and funding priorities of United Way and then they must weigh all of this against the available monies we have to invest. It is a tough job and they take it seriously.
Thank you to the following volunteers:
Education Focus Area Volunteers
Anna Austin
Buncombe County Association of Educators
Stacey Bailey
Smart Start
Vicki Biggers
Retired, Buncombe County Schools
Sandra Byrd
Retired, UNC - Asheville
Jeanette...

What a fun night celebrating this first year in a joint community effort to create a Community School at Enka Middle School. Click here to check these photos out!
Thanks to all who are involved in the year round efforts including - Enka Middle staff and teachers, YMCA and their 21st Century Afterschool Program, Americorps/VISTA, and our very own Middle School Success and Hands On Asheville-Buncombe programs. Thanks also to OLLI - Osher Lifelong Learning volunteers for their help to put the event on last night.
Read more about the project at Enka Middle School on Ann VonBrock's education blog.

Joining United Way Women's Leadership Council of Asheville and Buncombe County means being part of the most successful women’s philanthropic network of its kind today. Your passion- combined with the power of nearly 50,000 members in more than 130 communities who have raised $700 million in a decade- maximizes your capacity to get things done.
Learn more as we celebrate the launch of our Women's Leadership Council.
May 7, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Get details and reserve your space today!

From the Asheville Citizen-Times article about the Healthy Kids Day event on Saturday: Ann Von Brock, vice president of planning and community investment with the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, said the agency’s Middle School Success program is an example of its commitment to expand the quality and accessibility of out-of-school programming for that underserved age group. “One of our community priorities is that kids have access to healthy activities after school,” Von Brock said as she rewarded a successful corn-hole thrower with a box of raisins. “And we want to make sure that these are quality programs.”